2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET child restraint

Child safet y
-If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
P ASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks descr ibed
~ page 155, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rea r seat positions if the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
l ight does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used~
page 135, Safety belts,
~ page 143, Airbag system and
~page 165, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
---
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas­
senger can be locked with the convertible locking
retractor to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety belt have a convertib le lock­
i n g ret rac to r fo r child rest raints . The safety belt
m ust be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
chi ld safety seat w ill stay in place .
A lways remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
stra ined for their age and size .
176
A WARNING ,.
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the r isk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
-
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re­
tractor is locked when installing a ch ild
safety seat . An unlocked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
during normal d riving or in a c rash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not si tting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly a round dur ing
a sudden s top or in a collision.
- I f the backrest is not se curely latched, the
child and the ch ild restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and w ill
strike parts of the veh icle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rear -facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be k illed when the passenger a irbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Forward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere w ith the deployment of
the airbag and ca use serio us inju ry to the
child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
c::!;> page 165. Special p recautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 144, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor-
tant things to know .
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A WARNING 1=
Always take special precautions if you must install a forward or rearward -facing ch ild re ­
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep­
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward -facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat, the
P ASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on , perform the
checks descr ibed
~ page 155, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PAS SEN GER AI R
BAG OF F
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of ch ild restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection .
- An improper ly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child .
- Always carefu lly follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- After checking to make sure that the child restra int is properly installed, make certa in
tha t the child restraint is correctly recog­
nized by the capacit ive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light signals
the cor rect front passenger fronta l airbag
status .
A WARNING
Forward-fac ing child rest raints :
- Always ma ke sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and ce rtified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a fron t seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
-
Ch ild safety
-Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest posit ion in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as possible , before installing the for­
ward-facing ch ild restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild rest raint and
not next to o r in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
A WARNING
= Rearward-facing chi ld restraints:
- A child in a rearward-fac ing c hild safety sea t
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serio usly injured and can be ki lled if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the c hild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially carefu l if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in except ional cir­
cumstances.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rea r-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
sys tem inspected by you r Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the c hild safety seat manufacturer 's
instruct ions when installing a child restraint in
177

Child safety
your vehicle. To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably
on the rear seat.
.,. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
.,. Route it around or through the child restraint
belt path
~ .&_ .
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight .
.,. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position .
.,. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
.,. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con­
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt.
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible locking re­
tractor is now activated.
.,. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2.5 cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improp­
erly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­ tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it . A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up­
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherwise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at-
178
tached to it could fly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency situation .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
¢page 165. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 144, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into the re­
tractor.
.,. Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
The belt tongue will pop out of the buckle.
.,. Guide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed position.
Always let the safety belt retract completely into
its stowed position. The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con­
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac­
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un­
fastened and guided completely back into its
stowed position to deactivate this feature. If the
convertible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision .
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate the convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints while the vehicle is moving. You
would not be restrained and could be seri­
ously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 165. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
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the front passenger seat Q page 144, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
LATCH system (Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more practicable way to
attach the child restraint on the vehicle seat,
F ederal regulations require special lower ancho­
rages in vehicles and devices on new child re­
straints to attach to the vehicle anchorages.
In the United States, the combination of the
tether anchorages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called the LATCH system for
" L ower Anchorages and Tethers for Childr en". In
Canada, the terms "top tether" with "lower uni­
versal anchorages" (or "lower universal anchor­
age bars") are used to describe the system.
In other countries the term "ISO FIX" is used to
describe the lower anchorages.
F orward-facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a child restraint that requires a top
tether without one can seriously impair the per­
formance of the child restraint and its ability to
protect the child in a collision. Installing a child
restraint that requires a top tether without the
top tether may be a violation of state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower
anchorages on their child seats with hook-on or
push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these
child restraint systems usually require the use of
tether straps to help keep the child restraint
firmly in place .
Child sa fety
A WARNING
-Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint you
intend to insta ll in your vehicle.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used.
- Improper use of chi ld restraint LATCH lower
anchorage points can lead to injury in a colli­
sion . The LATCH lower anchorage po ints are
des igned to w ithstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted child restraints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower anchorage point.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
item to the LATCH lower anchorages.
Location
Fig. 150 Schematic overview: LATCH anchorage point loca­
tions (example)
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipped with the lower
anchorages system.
1 79

Child safety
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating .
Fig. 151 Lower an ch orages, cove rs marked
Fig. 152 Rear seats: lower anchorage bracke t locations
Lowe r anchor ag es
The circular mark ings on the rea r seat he lp you to
ident ify the location of lower anchorages for the
two outboard seating positions
r=> fig. 151. The
LATCH lower universal anchorage attachment
points are between the rear seatback and rear
seat cushion.
Remove the covers
r=> fig. 151 to access the lower
anchorage attachment points.
The lower anchorage attachment poi nts are visi­
b le
r=> fig. 152.
Lower ancho rages secure the ch ild rest raint in
the sea t witho ut using the vehicle 's safety belts.
Anchorages provide a secure and easy-to-use at­
tachment and minimize the possibility of improp­
er child restraint installation .
All ch ild rest raints manufactured after Septem ­
ber 1, 2002, must have lowe r anchorage at tach­
ments for the
LATCH sys tem .
180
Please remember that the lower anchorage
points are on ly intended for installation and at­
tachment of child restraints specif ically certified
for use with
LATCH lower anchorages . Child re ­
straints that are not equipped with the lower an­
chorage attachments can still be installed in
compliance with t he ch ild restraint manufactur­
er's instructions on using vehicle safety belts .
.&_ WARNING
Imp roper use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause serious personal inju ry in an accident.
- Always carefully follow the ch ild restraints
manufact urer's instructions for proper in­
stallat ion of the chi ld restraint and proper
use of the lower anchorages or sa fety belts
in your vehicle.
- Never secure or attach any luggage o r othe r
items to the
LATCH lower anchorages .
- Always read and heed the important infor­
mation about child restraints in this chapter
and WARN INGS
~page 165, Child safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Applies to : vehicles with Top Tether
Whenever you install a child restraint always fol­
low the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
Fig. 153 Lowe r anchorages: p rope r mount ing
Mounting
.., Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in the upright pos ition and secure ly latched
in place .
.., Attach both hook-on connectors w ith the spr ing
catch release on the child safety seat o nto the .,.

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LATCH lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into place
¢fi g. 153 .
.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.. Pull straps tight following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
R elea sing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
.. Depress the spring catches to release the an­
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
Improper use of the LATCH system can in­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury and
death in an acc ident.
- These anchors were developed only for child safety seats using the "LATCH" system.
- Never attach other child safety seats, belts
or othe r objects to these anchors .
- Always make sure that you hear a click when
latch ing the seat in place. If you do not hear
a click the seat is not secure and could fly
forward and h it the interior of t he vehicle,
o r be ejected from the vehicle.
A WARNING
Improper installatio n of c hild rest rai nts will
increase t he r is k of i njury in an a cc ident.
- Always follow the child restra int system
man ufacturer's inst ru ct ions for proper in ­
sta llation of the child res tra int system and
pro per use of tether straps as well as the
lower anchorages or safety be lts in your
ve­
hicle.
- Always read and heed the important infor­
mation and WARNINGS about child safety
and the insta llation of chi ld restraint sys ­
tems ¢
page 165, Child safety.
Child sa fety
Tether anchors and tether straps
F ig. 154 Tether anchors: behind the rear seat backrests
The tether anchors for the rear seating positions
are located on the rear seat backrests¢
fig. 154.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at­
taches the top part of a child restraint to special
anchorage points in the vehicle.
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the for ­
ward movement of the child restraint in a crash,
in order to help reduce the risk of head injury
that could be caused by striking the vehicle inte­
r ior.
Forward facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S . fed­
era l regulations to comply with new child head
movement pe rformance requ irements. These
new performance requ irements make a tether
necessary on most new chi ld safety sea ts.
A WARNING
I mp roper installa tion of child restra ints w ill
i nc rease the risk o f injury and dea th in a
crash.
- Always follow the instru ctions prov ided by
the man ufa ct u rer of the ch ild restrain t you
i n tend to insta ll in your A udi.
- I mp roper use of chi ld restrain t ancho rs ( in­
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a co llision. The anchors are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed
by cor­
rectly fitted ch ild restraints.
- Never mo unt two child rest rai nt systems on
one LATC H lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restra int systems to
one tether strap or tether anchorage .
181

Child safety
-Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu­
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PAS SEN G ER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rea r
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 155 Tet her strap: proper routing and mounting
Installing th e teth er strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restra int acco rding to the child restra int manu­
fac ture r's instruct ions.
.,. Un lock the backrest and fold it slightly forward
¢ page 58and locate the tether anchor behind
the rear seat backrest.
.,. Raise the head restraint behind the child safety
seat.
.,. Gu ide the upper tether strap under or on both
s ides of the rea r head restra int (depending on
the child safety seat model) .
.,. Attach the tether strap ancho rage hook into
the open ing of the tether anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook is engaged.
182
.,. Straighten the backrest back up into its upright
position and press it firmly into the locking
mechanism.
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasi ng th e tet her strap
.,. Loosen the tension on the tethe r strap fo llow­
ing the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched a round
the tether s trap. This applies especially to
l eather seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint systems
come with a tether. Please read and heed the
ch ild restraint system manufacturer's i nstruc­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether.
&_ WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously inju red and can be k illed if the front
airbag inf lates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- If you m ust install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SSENGER A IR BA G OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install

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the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional in­
formation about child restraint selection, instal­
lation and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat is
the one that fits your child and fits in your vehi­
cle, and that you will use correctly and consis­
tently.
Try before you buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administra­
tion
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
http :/ /www.nhtsa.gov
http :/ /www.safercar .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
http :/ /www.safekids.org
Safety BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 745 -SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
http :/ /www.carseat .org
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or call 1-613-998-8616 if
you are in the Ottawa area
http ://www .tc.gc.ca/ eng/roadsa fety/ menu .htm
Audi Customer Relations
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
Child safety
183